SINGAPORE PM RETURNS HOME AFTER TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO MALAYSIA

SEPANG, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong departed for home today after concluding a two-day official visit to Malaysia in conjunction with the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat.

Wong was accorded a red carpet welcome and a guard of honour by officers and members of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment under the command of Captain Muhammad Iskandar Dzulkarnein Doa Hassan at the Bunga Raya Complex here.

Earlier, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir presented Wong with a special album containing photos on his visit to Malaysia.

The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying Wong, his wife Loo Tze Lui and delegation departed for Singapore at 4.30 pm.

This is Wong's second visit to Malaysia since assuming office on May 15, 2024. His first visit was on June 11 last year.

This morning, Wong held a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Perdana Putra Building, Putrajaya.

Following the meeting, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to reopen discussions on long-standing issues such as water supply, maritime demarcation and airspace.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a joint press conference after the delegation meeting in conjunction with the 11th Leaders' Retreat, said the technical team would discuss matters regarding its parameters.

He said both sides would holistically address several matters demanded by both countries for a final solution and a win-win outcome for all parties.

In addition, Anwar said Sarawak's electricity export to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore were also discussed with his counterpart.

Earlier, the two leaders also witnessed the exchange of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) Joint Agreement, six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and one Letter of Intent (LOI) on education, women and social welfare, climate change, carbon capture and storage, urban development, and efforts to combat cross-border crime.

Last night, Anwar hosted Wong at a dinner at Rumah Tangsi, Kuala Lumpur, which was followed by a four-eye meeting for nearly two hours, on efforts to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.

As close neighbours and founding members of ASEAN, Malaysia and Singapore have established close and extensive ties in various fields.

The two countries remain each other's second largest trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching US$78.59 billion (RM360.12 billion) from January to November 2024, an increase of 6.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.

This year also marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

-- BERNAMA